Un team di ricerca internazionale guidato dall’Università di Padova ha pubblicato sulla prestigiosa rivista «Cell Death and Disease» lo studio Perturbation of the host cell Ca²⁺ homeostasis and ER-mitochondria contact sites by the SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins E and M  che evidenzia il ruolo delle proteine E ed M – fino a oggi ancora poco caratterizzate - nei meccanismi di proliferazione cellulare dei coronavirus, aprendo nuove prospettive di contenimento e cura delle epidemie da diversi tipi di coronavirus.

La malattia da coronavirus (COVID-19) è una malattia respiratoria contagiosa causata dal virus SARS-CoV-2. Gli esiti clinici sono variabili e vanno dal recupero spontaneo alla malattia grave fino alla morte. Nel marzo 2020, l'Organizzazione mondiale della sanità ha dichiarato una pandemia globale di COVID-19, tre anni dopo sono stati confermati in tutto il mondo circa 670 milioni di casi e 6,8 milioni di decessi. I coronavirus, incluso SARS-CoV-2, contengono un genoma di RNA a filamento singolo racchiuso in un capside virale costituito da quattro proteine strutturali: la proteina nucleocapside (N), la proteina spike (S), la proteina E e la proteina di membrana M.

«In particolare, la proteina E, ancora non particolarmente studiata nelle sue caratteristiche di azione, e presente in tutti i coronavirus ed è caratterizzata da un basso tasso di mutazione – spiega Tito Calì, del Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche dell’Università di Padova e correspondig author della ricerca -. Il nostro studio si è focalizzato quindi sulle proteine E ed M di SARS-CoV-2, ed è emerso che esse giocano ruoli diversi nel meccanismo di produzione delle particelle virali all’interno della cellula. Abbiamo inoltre prodotto, purificato e testato specifici anticorpi piccolissimi chiamati nanobodies in grado di modulare l’attività della viroporina E andando così a modificare il meccanismo patologico che, nella cellula, permette la proliferazione del virus.»

 «Questo studio, oltre a permettere una maggiore comprensione dei meccanismi molecolari attraverso cui queste proteine interferiscono con i processi cellulari suggerisce che la proteina E potrebbe essere un importante candidato terapeutico non solo per lo sviluppo di nuovi vaccini, ma anche per la gestione clinica del COVID attraverso regimi farmacologici mirati contro la sua funzione che, ad oggi, sono molto limitati.» conclude Marisa Brini, del Dipartimento di Biologia dell’Università di Padova e co-autrice dello studio.

Lo studio, finanziato dal fondo “Emergenza COVID 19” dell’Università di Padova è stato svolto dalla Dr.ssa Elena Poggio (DiBio), dalla Dr.ssa Francesca Vallese (Columbia) e dal Dr. Andreas Hartel (Columbia) in collaborazione con ricercatori della Columbia University di New York e della Technical University of Darmstadt, in Germania e coordinato dal Prof Tito Calì del DSB e dalla Prof. Marisa Brini del DiBio.

Un team di ricerca internazionale guidato dall’Università di Padova ha pubblicato sulla prestigiosa rivista «Cell Death and Disease» lo studio Perturbation of the host cell Ca²⁺ homeostasis and ER-mitochondria contact sites by the SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins E and M  che evidenzia il ruolo delle proteine E ed M – fino a oggi ancora poco caratterizzate - nei meccanismi di proliferazione cellulare dei coronavirus, aprendo nuove prospettive di contenimento e cura delle epidemie da diversi tipi di coronavirus.

La malattia da coronavirus (COVID-19) è una malattia respiratoria contagiosa causata dal virus SARS-CoV-2. Gli esiti clinici sono variabili e vanno dal recupero spontaneo alla malattia grave fino alla morte. Nel marzo 2020, l'Organizzazione mondiale della sanità ha dichiarato una pandemia globale di COVID-19, tre anni dopo sono stati confermati in tutto il mondo circa 670 milioni di casi e 6,8 milioni di decessi. I coronavirus, incluso SARS-CoV-2, contengono un genoma di RNA a filamento singolo racchiuso in un capside virale costituito da quattro proteine strutturali: la proteina nucleocapside (N), la proteina spike (S), la proteina E e la proteina di membrana M.

«In particolare, la proteina E, ancora non particolarmente studiata nelle sue caratteristiche di azione, e presente in tutti i coronavirus ed è caratterizzata da un basso tasso di mutazione – spiega Tito Calì, del Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche dell’Università di Padova e correspondig author della ricerca -. Il nostro studio si è focalizzato quindi sulle proteine E ed M di SARS-CoV-2, ed è emerso che esse giocano ruoli diversi nel meccanismo di produzione delle particelle virali all’interno della cellula. Abbiamo inoltre prodotto, purificato e testato specifici anticorpi piccolissimi chiamati nanobodies in grado di modulare l’attività della viroporina E andando così a modificare il meccanismo patologico che, nella cellula, permette la proliferazione del virus.»

 «Questo studio, oltre a permettere una maggiore comprensione dei meccanismi molecolari attraverso cui queste proteine interferiscono con i processi cellulari suggerisce che la proteina E potrebbe essere un importante candidato terapeutico non solo per lo sviluppo di nuovi vaccini, ma anche per la gestione clinica del COVID attraverso regimi farmacologici mirati contro la sua funzione che, ad oggi, sono molto limitati.» conclude Marisa Brini, del Dipartimento di Biologia dell’Università di Padova e co-autrice dello studio.

Lo studio, finanziato dal fondo “Emergenza COVID 19” dell’Università di Padova è stato svolto dalla Dr.ssa Elena Poggio (DiBio), dalla Dr.ssa Francesca Vallese (Columbia) e dal Dr. Andreas Hartel (Columbia) in collaborazione con ricercatori della Columbia University di New York e della Technical University of Darmstadt, in Germania e coordinato dal Prof Tito Calì del DSB e dalla Prof. Marisa Brini del DiBio.

Un team di ricerca internazionale guidato dall’Università di Padova ha pubblicato sulla prestigiosa rivista «Cell Death and Disease» lo studio Perturbation of the host cell Ca²⁺ homeostasis and ER-mitochondria contact sites by the SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins E and M  che evidenzia il ruolo delle proteine E ed M – fino a oggi ancora poco caratterizzate - nei meccanismi di proliferazione cellulare dei coronavirus, aprendo nuove prospettive di contenimento e cura delle epidemie da diversi tipi di coronavirus.

La malattia da coronavirus (COVID-19) è una malattia respiratoria contagiosa causata dal virus SARS-CoV-2. Gli esiti clinici sono variabili e vanno dal recupero spontaneo alla malattia grave fino alla morte. Nel marzo 2020, l'Organizzazione mondiale della sanità ha dichiarato una pandemia globale di COVID-19, tre anni dopo sono stati confermati in tutto il mondo circa 670 milioni di casi e 6,8 milioni di decessi. I coronavirus, incluso SARS-CoV-2, contengono un genoma di RNA a filamento singolo racchiuso in un capside virale costituito da quattro proteine strutturali: la proteina nucleocapside (N), la proteina spike (S), la proteina E e la proteina di membrana M.

«In particolare, la proteina E, ancora non particolarmente studiata nelle sue caratteristiche di azione, e presente in tutti i coronavirus ed è caratterizzata da un basso tasso di mutazione – spiega Tito Calì, del Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche dell’Università di Padova e correspondig author della ricerca -. Il nostro studio si è focalizzato quindi sulle proteine E ed M di SARS-CoV-2, ed è emerso che esse giocano ruoli diversi nel meccanismo di produzione delle particelle virali all’interno della cellula. Abbiamo inoltre prodotto, purificato e testato specifici anticorpi piccolissimi chiamati nanobodies in grado di modulare l’attività della viroporina E andando così a modificare il meccanismo patologico che, nella cellula, permette la proliferazione del virus.»

 «Questo studio, oltre a permettere una maggiore comprensione dei meccanismi molecolari attraverso cui queste proteine interferiscono con i processi cellulari suggerisce che la proteina E potrebbe essere un importante candidato terapeutico non solo per lo sviluppo di nuovi vaccini, ma anche per la gestione clinica del COVID attraverso regimi farmacologici mirati contro la sua funzione che, ad oggi, sono molto limitati.» conclude Marisa Brini, del Dipartimento di Biologia dell’Università di Padova e co-autrice dello studio.

Lo studio, finanziato dal fondo “Emergenza COVID 19” dell’Università di Padova è stato svolto dalla Dr.ssa Elena Poggio (DiBio), dalla Dr.ssa Francesca Vallese (Columbia) e dal Dr. Andreas Hartel (Columbia) in collaborazione con ricercatori della Columbia University di New York e della Technical University of Darmstadt, in Germania e coordinato dal Prof Tito Calì del DSB e dalla Prof. Marisa Brini del DiBio.

Un team di ricerca internazionale guidato dall’Università di Padova ha pubblicato sulla prestigiosa rivista «Cell Death and Disease» lo studio Perturbation of the host cell Ca²⁺ homeostasis and ER-mitochondria contact sites by the SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins E and M  che evidenzia il ruolo delle proteine E ed M – fino a oggi ancora poco caratterizzate - nei meccanismi di proliferazione cellulare dei coronavirus, aprendo nuove prospettive di contenimento e cura delle epidemie da diversi tipi di coronavirus.

La malattia da coronavirus (COVID-19) è una malattia respiratoria contagiosa causata dal virus SARS-CoV-2. Gli esiti clinici sono variabili e vanno dal recupero spontaneo alla malattia grave fino alla morte. Nel marzo 2020, l'Organizzazione mondiale della sanità ha dichiarato una pandemia globale di COVID-19, tre anni dopo sono stati confermati in tutto il mondo circa 670 milioni di casi e 6,8 milioni di decessi. I coronavirus, incluso SARS-CoV-2, contengono un genoma di RNA a filamento singolo racchiuso in un capside virale costituito da quattro proteine strutturali: la proteina nucleocapside (N), la proteina spike (S), la proteina E e la proteina di membrana M.

«In particolare, la proteina E, ancora non particolarmente studiata nelle sue caratteristiche di azione, e presente in tutti i coronavirus ed è caratterizzata da un basso tasso di mutazione – spiega Tito Calì, del Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche dell’Università di Padova e correspondig author della ricerca -. Il nostro studio si è focalizzato quindi sulle proteine E ed M di SARS-CoV-2, ed è emerso che esse giocano ruoli diversi nel meccanismo di produzione delle particelle virali all’interno della cellula. Abbiamo inoltre prodotto, purificato e testato specifici anticorpi piccolissimi chiamati nanobodies in grado di modulare l’attività della viroporina E andando così a modificare il meccanismo patologico che, nella cellula, permette la proliferazione del virus.»

 «Questo studio, oltre a permettere una maggiore comprensione dei meccanismi molecolari attraverso cui queste proteine interferiscono con i processi cellulari suggerisce che la proteina E potrebbe essere un importante candidato terapeutico non solo per lo sviluppo di nuovi vaccini, ma anche per la gestione clinica del COVID attraverso regimi farmacologici mirati contro la sua funzione che, ad oggi, sono molto limitati.» conclude Marisa Brini, del Dipartimento di Biologia dell’Università di Padova e co-autrice dello studio.

Lo studio, finanziato dal fondo “Emergenza COVID 19” dell’Università di Padova è stato svolto dalla Dr.ssa Elena Poggio (DiBio), dalla Dr.ssa Francesca Vallese (Columbia) e dal Dr. Andreas Hartel (Columbia) in collaborazione con ricercatori della Columbia University di New York e della Technical University of Darmstadt, in Germania e coordinato dal Prof Tito Calì del DSB e dalla Prof. Marisa Brini del DiBio.

Un team di ricerca internazionale guidato dall’Università di Padova ha pubblicato sulla prestigiosa rivista «Cell Death and Disease» lo studio Perturbation of the host cell Ca²⁺ homeostasis and ER-mitochondria contact sites by the SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins E and M  che evidenzia il ruolo delle proteine E ed M – fino a oggi ancora poco caratterizzate - nei meccanismi di proliferazione cellulare dei coronavirus, aprendo nuove prospettive di contenimento e cura

Un team di ricerca internazionale guidato dall’Università di Padova ha pubblicato sulla prestigiosa rivista «Cell Death and Disease» lo studio Perturbation of the host cell Ca²⁺ homeostasis and ER-mitochondria contact sites by the SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins E and M  che evidenzia il ruolo delle proteine E ed M – fino a oggi ancora poco caratterizzate - nei meccanismi di proliferazione cellulare dei coronavirus, aprendo nuove prospettive di contenimento e cura delle epidemie da diversi tipi di coronavirus.

La malattia da coronavirus (COVID-19) è una malattia respiratoria contagiosa causata dal virus SARS-CoV-2. Gli esiti clinici sono variabili e vanno dal recupero spontaneo alla malattia grave fino alla morte. Nel marzo 2020, l'Organizzazione mondiale della sanità ha dichiarato una pandemia globale di COVID-19, tre anni dopo sono stati confermati in tutto il mondo circa 670 milioni di casi e 6,8 milioni di decessi. I coronavirus, incluso SARS-CoV-2, contengono un genoma di RNA a filamento singolo racchiuso in un capside virale costituito da quattro proteine strutturali: la proteina nucleocapside (N), la proteina spike (S), la proteina E e la proteina di membrana M.

«In particolare, la proteina E, ancora non particolarmente studiata nelle sue caratteristiche di azione, e presente in tutti i coronavirus ed è caratterizzata da un basso tasso di mutazione – spiega Tito Calì, del Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche dell’Università di Padova e correspondig author della ricerca -. Il nostro studio si è focalizzato quindi sulle proteine E ed M di SARS-CoV-2, ed è emerso che esse giocano ruoli diversi nel meccanismo di produzione delle particelle virali all’interno della cellula. Abbiamo inoltre prodotto, purificato e testato specifici anticorpi piccolissimi chiamati nanobodies in grado di modulare l’attività della viroporina E andando così a modificare il meccanismo patologico che, nella cellula, permette la proliferazione del virus.»

 «Questo studio, oltre a permettere una maggiore comprensione dei meccanismi molecolari attraverso cui queste proteine interferiscono con i processi cellulari suggerisce che la proteina E potrebbe essere un importante candidato terapeutico non solo per lo sviluppo di nuovi vaccini, ma anche per la gestione clinica del COVID attraverso regimi farmacologici mirati contro la sua funzione che, ad oggi, sono molto limitati.» conclude Marisa Brini, del Dipartimento di Biologia dell’Università di Padova e co-autrice dello studio.

Lo studio, finanziato dal fondo “Emergenza COVID 19” dell’Università di Padova è stato svolto dalla Dr.ssa Elena Poggio (DiBio), dalla Dr.ssa Francesca Vallese (Columbia) e dal Dr. Andreas Hartel (Columbia) in collaborazione con ricercatori della Columbia University di New York e della Technical University of Darmstadt, in Germania e coordinato dal Prof Tito Calì del DSB e dalla Prof. Marisa Brini del DiBio.

Un team di ricerca internazionale guidato dall’Università di Padova ha pubblicato sulla prestigiosa rivista «Cell Death and Disease» lo studio Perturbation of the host cell Ca²⁺ homeostasis and ER-mitochondria contact sites by the SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins E and M  che evidenzia il ruolo delle proteine E ed M – fino a oggi ancora poco caratterizzate - nei meccanismi di proliferazione cellulare dei coronavirus, aprendo nuove prospettive di contenimento e cura delle epidemie da diversi tipi di coronavirus.

La malattia da coronavirus (COVID-19) è una malattia respiratoria contagiosa causata dal virus SARS-CoV-2. Gli esiti clinici sono variabili e vanno dal recupero spontaneo alla malattia grave fino alla morte. Nel marzo 2020, l'Organizzazione mondiale della sanità ha dichiarato una pandemia globale di COVID-19, tre anni dopo sono stati confermati in tutto il mondo circa 670 milioni di casi e 6,8 milioni di decessi. I coronavirus, incluso SARS-CoV-2, contengono un genoma di RNA a filamento singolo racchiuso in un capside virale costituito da quattro proteine strutturali: la proteina nucleocapside (N), la proteina spike (S), la proteina E e la proteina di membrana M.

«In particolare, la proteina E, ancora non particolarmente studiata nelle sue caratteristiche di azione, e presente in tutti i coronavirus ed è caratterizzata da un basso tasso di mutazione – spiega Tito Calì, del Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche dell’Università di Padova e correspondig author della ricerca -. Il nostro studio si è focalizzato quindi sulle proteine E ed M di SARS-CoV-2, ed è emerso che esse giocano ruoli diversi nel meccanismo di produzione delle particelle virali all’interno della cellula. Abbiamo inoltre prodotto, purificato e testato specifici anticorpi piccolissimi chiamati nanobodies in grado di modulare l’attività della viroporina E andando così a modificare il meccanismo patologico che, nella cellula, permette la proliferazione del virus.»

 «Questo studio, oltre a permettere una maggiore comprensione dei meccanismi molecolari attraverso cui queste proteine interferiscono con i processi cellulari suggerisce che la proteina E potrebbe essere un importante candidato terapeutico non solo per lo sviluppo di nuovi vaccini, ma anche per la gestione clinica del COVID attraverso regimi farmacologici mirati contro la sua funzione che, ad oggi, sono molto limitati.» conclude Marisa Brini, del Dipartimento di Biologia dell’Università di Padova e co-autrice dello studio.

Lo studio, finanziato dal fondo “Emergenza COVID 19” dell’Università di Padova è stato svolto dalla Dr.ssa Elena Poggio (DiBio), dalla Dr.ssa Francesca Vallese (Columbia) e dal Dr. Andreas Hartel (Columbia) in collaborazione con ricercatori della Columbia University di New York e della Technical University of Darmstadt, in Germania e coordinato dal Prof Tito Calì del DSB e dalla Prof. Marisa Brini del DiBio.

Un team di ricerca internazionale guidato dall’Università di Padova ha pubblicato sulla prestigiosa rivista «Cell Death and Disease» lo studio Perturbation of the host cell Ca²⁺ homeostasis and ER-mitochondria contact sites by the SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins E and M  che evidenzia il ruolo delle proteine E ed M – fino a oggi ancora poco caratterizzate - nei meccanismi di proliferazione cellulare dei coronavirus, aprendo nuove prospettive di contenimento e cura delle epidemie da diversi tipi di coronavirus.

La malattia da coronavirus (COVID-19) è una malattia respiratoria contagiosa causata dal virus SARS-CoV-2. Gli esiti clinici sono variabili e vanno dal recupero spontaneo alla malattia grave fino alla morte. Nel marzo 2020, l'Organizzazione mondiale della sanità ha dichiarato una pandemia globale di COVID-19, tre anni dopo sono stati confermati in tutto il mondo circa 670 milioni di casi e 6,8 milioni di decessi. I coronavirus, incluso SARS-CoV-2, contengono un genoma di RNA a filamento singolo racchiuso in un capside virale costituito da quattro proteine strutturali: la proteina nucleocapside (N), la proteina spike (S), la proteina E e la proteina di membrana M.

«In particolare, la proteina E, ancora non particolarmente studiata nelle sue caratteristiche di azione, e presente in tutti i coronavirus ed è caratterizzata da un basso tasso di mutazione – spiega Tito Calì, del Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche dell’Università di Padova e correspondig author della ricerca -. Il nostro studio si è focalizzato quindi sulle proteine E ed M di SARS-CoV-2, ed è emerso che esse giocano ruoli diversi nel meccanismo di produzione delle particelle virali all’interno della cellula. Abbiamo inoltre prodotto, purificato e testato specifici anticorpi piccolissimi chiamati nanobodies in grado di modulare l’attività della viroporina E andando così a modificare il meccanismo patologico che, nella cellula, permette la proliferazione del virus.»

 «Questo studio, oltre a permettere una maggiore comprensione dei meccanismi molecolari attraverso cui queste proteine interferiscono con i processi cellulari suggerisce che la proteina E potrebbe essere un importante candidato terapeutico non solo per lo sviluppo di nuovi vaccini, ma anche per la gestione clinica del COVID attraverso regimi farmacologici mirati contro la sua funzione che, ad oggi, sono molto limitati.» conclude Marisa Brini, del Dipartimento di Biologia dell’Università di Padova e co-autrice dello studio.

Lo studio, finanziato dal fondo “Emergenza COVID 19” dell’Università di Padova è stato svolto dalla Dr.ssa Elena Poggio (DiBio), dalla Dr.ssa Francesca Vallese (Columbia) e dal Dr. Andreas Hartel (Columbia) in collaborazione con ricercatori della Columbia University di New York e della Technical University of Darmstadt, in Germania e coordinato dal Prof Tito Calì del DSB e dalla Prof. Marisa Brini del DiBio.

Un team di ricerca internazionale guidato dall’Università di Padova ha pubblicato sulla prestigiosa rivista «Cell Death and Disease» lo studio Perturbation of the host cell Ca²⁺ homeostasis and ER-mitochondria contact sites by the SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins E and M  che evidenzia il ruolo delle proteine E ed M – fino a oggi ancora poco caratterizzate - nei meccanismi di proliferazione cellulare dei coronavirus, aprendo nuove prospettive di contenimento e cura delle epidemie da diversi tipi di coronavirus.

La malattia da coronavirus (COVID-19) è una malattia respiratoria contagiosa causata dal virus SARS-CoV-2. Gli esiti clinici sono variabili e vanno dal recupero spontaneo alla malattia grave fino alla morte. Nel marzo 2020, l'Organizzazione mondiale della sanità ha dichiarato una pandemia globale di COVID-19, tre anni dopo sono stati confermati in tutto il mondo circa 670 milioni di casi e 6,8 milioni di decessi. I coronavirus, incluso SARS-CoV-2, contengono un genoma di RNA a filamento singolo racchiuso in un capside virale costituito da quattro proteine strutturali: la proteina nucleocapside (N), la proteina spike (S), la proteina E e la proteina di membrana M.

«In particolare, la proteina E, ancora non particolarmente studiata nelle sue caratteristiche di azione, e presente in tutti i coronavirus ed è caratterizzata da un basso tasso di mutazione – spiega Tito Calì, del Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche dell’Università di Padova e correspondig author della ricerca -. Il nostro studio si è focalizzato quindi sulle proteine E ed M di SARS-CoV-2, ed è emerso che esse giocano ruoli diversi nel meccanismo di produzione delle particelle virali all’interno della cellula. Abbiamo inoltre prodotto, purificato e testato specifici anticorpi piccolissimi chiamati nanobodies in grado di modulare l’attività della viroporina E andando così a modificare il meccanismo patologico che, nella cellula, permette la proliferazione del virus.»

 «Questo studio, oltre a permettere una maggiore comprensione dei meccanismi molecolari attraverso cui queste proteine interferiscono con i processi cellulari suggerisce che la proteina E potrebbe essere un importante candidato terapeutico non solo per lo sviluppo di nuovi vaccini, ma anche per la gestione clinica del COVID attraverso regimi farmacologici mirati contro la sua funzione che, ad oggi, sono molto limitati.» conclude Marisa Brini, del Dipartimento di Biologia dell’Università di Padova e co-autrice dello studio.

Lo studio, finanziato dal fondo “Emergenza COVID 19” dell’Università di Padova è stato svolto dalla Dr.ssa Elena Poggio (DiBio), dalla Dr.ssa Francesca Vallese (Columbia) e dal Dr. Andreas Hartel (Columbia) in collaborazione con ricercatori della Columbia University di New York e della Technical University of Darmstadt, in Germania e coordinato dal Prof Tito Calì del DSB e dalla Prof. Marisa Brini del DiBio.

Un team di ricerca internazionale guidato dall’Università di Padova ha pubblicato sulla prestigiosa rivista «Cell Death and Disease» lo studio Perturbation of the host cell Ca²⁺ homeostasis and ER-mitochondria contact sites by the SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins E and M  che evidenzia il ruolo delle proteine E ed M – fino a oggi ancora poco caratterizzate - nei meccanismi di proliferazione cellulare dei coronavirus, aprendo nuove prospettive di contenimento e cura delle epidemie da diversi tipi di coronavirus.

La malattia da coronavirus (COVID-19) è una malattia respiratoria contagiosa causata dal virus SARS-CoV-2. Gli esiti clinici sono variabili e vanno dal recupero spontaneo alla malattia grave fino alla morte. Nel marzo 2020, l'Organizzazione mondiale della sanità ha dichiarato una pandemia globale di COVID-19, tre anni dopo sono stati confermati in tutto il mondo circa 670 milioni di casi e 6,8 milioni di decessi. I coronavirus, incluso SARS-CoV-2, contengono un genoma di RNA a filamento singolo racchiuso in un capside virale costituito da quattro proteine strutturali: la proteina nucleocapside (N), la proteina spike (S), la proteina E e la proteina di membrana M.

«In particolare, la proteina E, ancora non particolarmente studiata nelle sue caratteristiche di azione, e presente in tutti i coronavirus ed è caratterizzata da un basso tasso di mutazione – spiega Tito Calì, del Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche dell’Università di Padova e correspondig author della ricerca -. Il nostro studio si è focalizzato quindi sulle proteine E ed M di SARS-CoV-2, ed è emerso che esse giocano ruoli diversi nel meccanismo di produzione delle particelle virali all’interno della cellula. Abbiamo inoltre prodotto, purificato e testato specifici anticorpi piccolissimi chiamati nanobodies in grado di modulare l’attività della viroporina E andando così a modificare il meccanismo patologico che, nella cellula, permette la proliferazione del virus.»

 «Questo studio, oltre a permettere una maggiore comprensione dei meccanismi molecolari attraverso cui queste proteine interferiscono con i processi cellulari suggerisce che la proteina E potrebbe essere un importante candidato terapeutico non solo per lo sviluppo di nuovi vaccini, ma anche per la gestione clinica del COVID attraverso regimi farmacologici mirati contro la sua funzione che, ad oggi, sono molto limitati.» conclude Marisa Brini, del Dipartimento di Biologia dell’Università di Padova e co-autrice dello studio.

Lo studio, finanziato dal fondo “Emergenza COVID 19” dell’Università di Padova è stato svolto dalla Dr.ssa Elena Poggio (DiBio), dalla Dr.ssa Francesca Vallese (Columbia) e dal Dr. Andreas Hartel (Columbia) in collaborazione con ricercatori della Columbia University di New York e della Technical University of Darmstadt, in Germania e coordinato dal Prof Tito Calì del DSB e dalla Prof. Marisa Brini del DiBio.

Un team di ricerca internazionale guidato dall’Università di Padova ha pubblicato sulla prestigiosa rivista «Cell Death and Disease» lo studio Perturbation of the host cell Ca²⁺ homeostasis and ER-mitochondria contact sites by the SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins E and M  che evidenzia il ruolo delle proteine E ed M – fino a oggi ancora poco caratterizzate - nei meccanismi di proliferazione cellulare dei coronavirus, aprendo nuove prospettive di contenimento e cura delle epidemie da diversi tipi di coronavirus.

La malattia da coronavirus (COVID-19) è una malattia respiratoria contagiosa causata dal virus SARS-CoV-2. Gli esiti clinici sono variabili e vanno dal recupero spontaneo alla malattia grave fino alla morte. Nel marzo 2020, l'Organizzazione mondiale della sanità ha dichiarato una pandemia globale di COVID-19, tre anni dopo sono stati confermati in tutto il mondo circa 670 milioni di casi e 6,8 milioni di decessi. I coronavirus, incluso SARS-CoV-2, contengono un genoma di RNA a filamento singolo racchiuso in un capside virale costituito da quattro proteine strutturali: la proteina nucleocapside (N), la proteina spike (S), la proteina E e la proteina di membrana M.

«In particolare, la proteina E, ancora non particolarmente studiata nelle sue caratteristiche di azione, e presente in tutti i coronavirus ed è caratterizzata da un basso tasso di mutazione – spiega Tito Calì, del Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche dell’Università di Padova e correspondig author della ricerca -. Il nostro studio si è focalizzato quindi sulle proteine E ed M di SARS-CoV-2, ed è emerso che esse giocano ruoli diversi nel meccanismo di produzione delle particelle virali all’interno della cellula. Abbiamo inoltre prodotto, purificato e testato specifici anticorpi piccolissimi chiamati nanobodies in grado di modulare l’attività della viroporina E andando così a modificare il meccanismo patologico che, nella cellula, permette la proliferazione del virus.»

 «Questo studio, oltre a permettere una maggiore comprensione dei meccanismi molecolari attraverso cui queste proteine interferiscono con i processi cellulari suggerisce che la proteina E potrebbe essere un importante candidato terapeutico non solo per lo sviluppo di nuovi vaccini, ma anche per la gestione clinica del COVID attraverso regimi farmacologici mirati contro la sua funzione che, ad oggi, sono molto limitati.» conclude Marisa Brini, del Dipartimento di Biologia dell’Università di Padova e co-autrice dello studio.

Lo studio, finanziato dal fondo “Emergenza COVID 19” dell’Università di Padova è stato svolto dalla Dr.ssa Elena Poggio (DiBio), dalla Dr.ssa Francesca Vallese (Columbia) e dal Dr. Andreas Hartel (Columbia) in collaborazione con ricercatori della Columbia University di New York e della Technical University of Darmstadt, in Germania e coordinato dal Prof Tito Calì del DSB e dalla Prof. Marisa Brini del DiBio.

Published in Science Advances, the joint study between research teams at the universities of Padua and Barcelona, reveals how children are able to learn the grammar of language much earlier than previously thought: they do so by the prosodic cues of the language, often referred to as ‘the music of speech.’

Until now, researchers thought that children were only able to learn the relationships between distant words in sentences after the first year of age, that is, after they started speaking. A recent study entitled Prosodic cues enhance infants' sensitivity to nonadjacent regularities shows that children are able to learn these relationships as early as nine months.

The research, conducted by Ruth de Diego Balaguer and Ferran Pons of the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with Anna Martinez Alvarez and Judit Gervain, of the University of Padua and the CNRS in Paris, shows brain sensitivity to these regularities at the age of 9 months. The publication suggests that children are able to solve this task mainly by listening very carefully to the speech rhythm and pitch. By observing and monitoring behavior measures and neural responses, the researchers noticed that when pronouncing nonadjacent dependent words with a higher pitch or marked intonation the children better understood the dependencies between them. To measure the responses non-invasively, researchers used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which analyzes how infrared light reflects based on oxygen changes in the bloodstream and as a respond to different experimental conditions.

When presenting the children with monotone language or flat pitch, their brains demonstrated a reduced level of nonadjacent dependency learning. However, when the same sentence was spoken in a higher pitched tone that highlighted related A and B syllables, the neural responses indicated that the children were able to learn the relative dependencies of words.

This selectivity of transposition of dependencies, through prosodic cues, allows young children to learn the language efficiently even before their first birthday as they are already equipped with powerful learning mechanisms at such an early age.

This study indicates that while rudimentary sensitivity to non-adjacent regularities may be present as early as 9 months, robust and reliable learning is only achievable at this age when melodic information is present that helps infants' brains detect constituent words with a non-adjacent dependency.

Published in Science Advances, the joint study between research teams at the universities of Padua and Barcelona, reveals how children are able to learn the grammar of language much earlier than previously thought: they do so by the prosodic cues of the language, often referred to as ‘the music of speech.’

Until now, researchers thought that children were only able to learn the relationships between distant words in sentences after the first year of age, that is, after they started speaking. A recent study entitled Prosodic cues enhance infants' sensitivity to nonadjacent regularities shows that children are able to learn these relationships as early as nine months.

The research, conducted by Ruth de Diego Balaguer and Ferran Pons of the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with Anna Martinez Alvarez and Judit Gervain, of the University of Padua and the CNRS in Paris, shows brain sensitivity to these regularities at the age of 9 months. The publication suggests that children are able to solve this task mainly by listening very carefully to the speech rhythm and pitch. By observing and monitoring behavior measures and neural responses, the researchers noticed that when pronouncing nonadjacent dependent words with a higher pitch or marked intonation the children better understood the dependencies between them. To measure the responses non-invasively, researchers used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which analyzes how infrared light reflects based on oxygen changes in the bloodstream and as a respond to different experimental conditions.

When presenting the children with monotone language or flat pitch, their brains demonstrated a reduced level of nonadjacent dependency learning. However, when the same sentence was spoken in a higher pitched tone that highlighted related A and B syllables, the neural responses indicated that the children were able to learn the relative dependencies of words.

This selectivity of transposition of dependencies, through prosodic cues, allows young children to learn the language efficiently even before their first birthday as they are already equipped with powerful learning mechanisms at such an early age.

This study indicates that while rudimentary sensitivity to non-adjacent regularities may be present as early as 9 months, robust and reliable learning is only achievable at this age when melodic information is present that helps infants' brains detect constituent words with a non-adjacent dependency.

Published in Science Advances, the joint study between research teams at the universities of Padua and Barcelona, reveals how children are able to learn the grammar of language much earlier than previously thought: they do so by the prosodic cues of the language, often referred to as ‘the music of speech.’

Until now, researchers thought that children were only able to learn the relationships between distant words in sentences after the first year of age, that is, after they started speaking. A recent study entitled Prosodic cues enhance infants' sensitivity to nonadjacent regularities shows that children are able to learn these relationships as early as nine months.

The research, conducted by Ruth de Diego Balaguer and Ferran Pons of the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with Anna Martinez Alvarez and Judit Gervain, of the University of Padua and the CNRS in Paris, shows brain sensitivity to these regularities at the age of 9 months. The publication suggests that children are able to solve this task mainly by listening very carefully to the speech rhythm and pitch. By observing and monitoring behavior measures and neural responses, the researchers noticed that when pronouncing nonadjacent dependent words with a higher pitch or marked intonation the children better understood the dependencies between them. To measure the responses non-invasively, researchers used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which analyzes how infrared light reflects based on oxygen changes in the bloodstream and as a respond to different experimental conditions.

When presenting the children with monotone language or flat pitch, their brains demonstrated a reduced level of nonadjacent dependency learning. However, when the same sentence was spoken in a higher pitched tone that highlighted related A and B syllables, the neural responses indicated that the children were able to learn the relative dependencies of words.

This selectivity of transposition of dependencies, through prosodic cues, allows young children to learn the language efficiently even before their first birthday as they are already equipped with powerful learning mechanisms at such an early age.

This study indicates that while rudimentary sensitivity to non-adjacent regularities may be present as early as 9 months, robust and reliable learning is only achievable at this age when melodic information is present that helps infants' brains detect constituent words with a non-adjacent dependency.

Published in Science Advances, the joint study between research teams at the universities of Padua and Barcelona, reveals how children are able to learn the grammar of language much earlier than previously thought: they do so by the prosodic cues of the language, often referred to as ‘the music of speech.’

Until now, researchers thought that children were only able to learn the relationships between distant words in sentences after the first year of age, that is, after they started speaking. A recent study entitled Prosodic cues enhance infants' sensitivity to nonadjacent regularities shows that children are able to learn these relationships as early as nine months.

The research, conducted by Ruth de Diego Balaguer and Ferran Pons of the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with Anna Martinez Alvarez and Judit Gervain, of the University of Padua and the CNRS in Paris, shows brain sensitivity to these regularities at the age of 9 months. The publication suggests that children are able to solve this task mainly by listening very carefully to the speech rhythm and pitch. By observing and monitoring behavior measures and neural responses, the researchers noticed that when pronouncing nonadjacent dependent words with a higher pitch or marked intonation the children better understood the dependencies between them. To measure the responses non-invasively, researchers used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which analyzes how infrared light reflects based on oxygen changes in the bloodstream and as a respond to different experimental conditions.

When presenting the children with monotone language or flat pitch, their brains demonstrated a reduced level of nonadjacent dependency learning. However, when the same sentence was spoken in a higher pitched tone that highlighted related A and B syllables, the neural responses indicated that the children were able to learn the relative dependencies of words.

This selectivity of transposition of dependencies, through prosodic cues, allows young children to learn the language efficiently even before their first birthday as they are already equipped with powerful learning mechanisms at such an early age.

This study indicates that while rudimentary sensitivity to non-adjacent regularities may be present as early as 9 months, robust and reliable learning is only achievable at this age when melodic information is present that helps infants' brains detect constituent words with a non-adjacent dependency.

Published in Science Advances, the joint study between research teams at the universities of Padua and Barcelona, reveals how children are able to learn the grammar of language much earlier than previously thought: they do so by the prosodic cues of the language, often referred to as ‘the music of speech.’

Until now, researchers thought that children were only able to learn the relationships between distant words in sentences after the first year of age, that is, after they started speaking. A recent study entitled Prosodic cues enhance infants' sensitivity to nonadjacent regularities shows that children are able to learn these relationships as early as nine months.

The research, conducted by Ruth de Diego Balaguer and Ferran Pons of the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with Anna Martinez Alvarez and Judit Gervain, of the University of Padua and the CNRS in Paris, shows brain sensitivity to these regularities at the age of 9 months. The publication suggests that children are able to solve this task mainly by listening very carefully to the speech rhythm and pitch. By observing and monitoring behavior measures and neural responses, the researchers noticed that when pronouncing nonadjacent dependent words with a higher pitch or marked intonation the children better understood the dependencies between them. To measure the responses non-invasively, researchers used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which analyzes how infrared light reflects based on oxygen changes in the bloodstream and as a respond to different experimental conditions.

When presenting the children with monotone language or flat pitch, their brains demonstrated a reduced level of nonadjacent dependency learning. However, when the same sentence was spoken in a higher pitched tone that highlighted related A and B syllables, the neural responses indicated that the children were able to learn the relative dependencies of words.

This selectivity of transposition of dependencies, through prosodic cues, allows young children to learn the language efficiently even before their first birthday as they are already equipped with powerful learning mechanisms at such an early age.

This study indicates that while rudimentary sensitivity to non-adjacent regularities may be present as early as 9 months, robust and reliable learning is only achievable at this age when melodic information is present that helps infants' brains detect constituent words with a non-adjacent dependency.

Published in Science Advances, the joint study between research teams at the universities of Padua and Barcelona, reveals how children are able to learn the grammar of language much earlier than previously thought: they do so by the prosodic cues of the language, often referred to as ‘the music of speech.’

Until now, researchers thought that children were only able to learn the relationships between distant words in sentences after the first year of age, that is, after they started speaking. A recent study entitled Prosodic cues enhance infants' sensitivity to nonadjacent regularities shows that children are able to learn these relationships as early as nine months.

The research, conducted by Ruth de Diego Balaguer and Ferran Pons of the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with Anna Martinez Alvarez and Judit Gervain, of the University of Padua and the CNRS in Paris, shows brain sensitivity to these regularities at the age of 9 months. The publication suggests that children are able to solve this task mainly by listening very carefully to the speech rhythm and pitch. By observing and monitoring behavior measures and neural responses, the researchers noticed that when pronouncing nonadjacent dependent words with a higher pitch or marked intonation the children better understood the dependencies between them. To measure the responses non-invasively, researchers used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which analyzes how infrared light reflects based on oxygen changes in the bloodstream and as a respond to different experimental conditions.

When presenting the children with monotone language or flat pitch, their brains demonstrated a reduced level of nonadjacent dependency learning. However, when the same sentence was spoken in a higher pitched tone that highlighted related A and B syllables, the neural responses indicated that the children were able to learn the relative dependencies of words.

This selectivity of transposition of dependencies, through prosodic cues, allows young children to learn the language efficiently even before their first birthday as they are already equipped with powerful learning mechanisms at such an early age.

This study indicates that while rudimentary sensitivity to non-adjacent regularities may be present as early as 9 months, robust and reliable learning is only achievable at this age when melodic information is present that helps infants' brains detect constituent words with a non-adjacent dependency.

Published in Science Advances, the joint study between research teams at the universities of Padua and Barcelona, reveals how children are able to learn the grammar of language much earlier than previously thought: they do so by the prosodic cues of the language, often referred to as ‘the music of speech.’

Published in Science Advances, the joint study between research teams at the universities of Padua and Barcelona, reveals how children are able to learn the grammar of language much earlier than previously thought: they do so by the prosodic cues of the language, often referred to as ‘the music of speech.’

Until now, researchers thought that children were only able to learn the relationships between distant words in sentences after the first year of age, that is, after they started speaking. A recent study entitled Prosodic cues enhance infants' sensitivity to nonadjacent regularities shows that children are able to learn these relationships as early as nine months.

The research, conducted by Ruth de Diego Balaguer and Ferran Pons of the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with Anna Martinez Alvarez and Judit Gervain, of the University of Padua and the CNRS in Paris, shows brain sensitivity to these regularities at the age of 9 months. The publication suggests that children are able to solve this task mainly by listening very carefully to the speech rhythm and pitch. By observing and monitoring behavior measures and neural responses, the researchers noticed that when pronouncing nonadjacent dependent words with a higher pitch or marked intonation the children better understood the dependencies between them. To measure the responses non-invasively, researchers used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which analyzes how infrared light reflects based on oxygen changes in the bloodstream and as a respond to different experimental conditions.

When presenting the children with monotone language or flat pitch, their brains demonstrated a reduced level of nonadjacent dependency learning. However, when the same sentence was spoken in a higher pitched tone that highlighted related A and B syllables, the neural responses indicated that the children were able to learn the relative dependencies of words.

This selectivity of transposition of dependencies, through prosodic cues, allows young children to learn the language efficiently even before their first birthday as they are already equipped with powerful learning mechanisms at such an early age.

This study indicates that while rudimentary sensitivity to non-adjacent regularities may be present as early as 9 months, robust and reliable learning is only achievable at this age when melodic information is present that helps infants' brains detect constituent words with a non-adjacent dependency.

Published in Science Advances, the joint study between research teams at the universities of Padua and Barcelona, reveals how children are able to learn the grammar of language much earlier than previously thought: they do so by the prosodic cues of the language, often referred to as ‘the music of speech.’

Until now, researchers thought that children were only able to learn the relationships between distant words in sentences after the first year of age, that is, after they started speaking. A recent study entitled Prosodic cues enhance infants' sensitivity to nonadjacent regularities shows that children are able to learn these relationships as early as nine months.

The research, conducted by Ruth de Diego Balaguer and Ferran Pons of the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with Anna Martinez Alvarez and Judit Gervain, of the University of Padua and the CNRS in Paris, shows brain sensitivity to these regularities at the age of 9 months. The publication suggests that children are able to solve this task mainly by listening very carefully to the speech rhythm and pitch. By observing and monitoring behavior measures and neural responses, the researchers noticed that when pronouncing nonadjacent dependent words with a higher pitch or marked intonation the children better understood the dependencies between them. To measure the responses non-invasively, researchers used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which analyzes how infrared light reflects based on oxygen changes in the bloodstream and as a respond to different experimental conditions.

When presenting the children with monotone language or flat pitch, their brains demonstrated a reduced level of nonadjacent dependency learning. However, when the same sentence was spoken in a higher pitched tone that highlighted related A and B syllables, the neural responses indicated that the children were able to learn the relative dependencies of words.

This selectivity of transposition of dependencies, through prosodic cues, allows young children to learn the language efficiently even before their first birthday as they are already equipped with powerful learning mechanisms at such an early age.

This study indicates that while rudimentary sensitivity to non-adjacent regularities may be present as early as 9 months, robust and reliable learning is only achievable at this age when melodic information is present that helps infants' brains detect constituent words with a non-adjacent dependency.

Published in Science Advances, the joint study between research teams at the universities of Padua and Barcelona, reveals how children are able to learn the grammar of language much earlier than previously thought: they do so by the prosodic cues of the language, often referred to as ‘the music of speech.’

Until now, researchers thought that children were only able to learn the relationships between distant words in sentences after the first year of age, that is, after they started speaking. A recent study entitled Prosodic cues enhance infants' sensitivity to nonadjacent regularities shows that children are able to learn these relationships as early as nine months.

The research, conducted by Ruth de Diego Balaguer and Ferran Pons of the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with Anna Martinez Alvarez and Judit Gervain, of the University of Padua and the CNRS in Paris, shows brain sensitivity to these regularities at the age of 9 months. The publication suggests that children are able to solve this task mainly by listening very carefully to the speech rhythm and pitch. By observing and monitoring behavior measures and neural responses, the researchers noticed that when pronouncing nonadjacent dependent words with a higher pitch or marked intonation the children better understood the dependencies between them. To measure the responses non-invasively, researchers used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which analyzes how infrared light reflects based on oxygen changes in the bloodstream and as a respond to different experimental conditions.

When presenting the children with monotone language or flat pitch, their brains demonstrated a reduced level of nonadjacent dependency learning. However, when the same sentence was spoken in a higher pitched tone that highlighted related A and B syllables, the neural responses indicated that the children were able to learn the relative dependencies of words.

This selectivity of transposition of dependencies, through prosodic cues, allows young children to learn the language efficiently even before their first birthday as they are already equipped with powerful learning mechanisms at such an early age.

This study indicates that while rudimentary sensitivity to non-adjacent regularities may be present as early as 9 months, robust and reliable learning is only achievable at this age when melodic information is present that helps infants' brains detect constituent words with a non-adjacent dependency.

Published in Science Advances, the joint study between research teams at the universities of Padua and Barcelona, reveals how children are able to learn the grammar of language much earlier than previously thought: they do so by the prosodic cues of the language, often referred to as ‘the music of speech.’

Until now, researchers thought that children were only able to learn the relationships between distant words in sentences after the first year of age, that is, after they started speaking. A recent study entitled Prosodic cues enhance infants' sensitivity to nonadjacent regularities shows that children are able to learn these relationships as early as nine months.

The research, conducted by Ruth de Diego Balaguer and Ferran Pons of the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with Anna Martinez Alvarez and Judit Gervain, of the University of Padua and the CNRS in Paris, shows brain sensitivity to these regularities at the age of 9 months. The publication suggests that children are able to solve this task mainly by listening very carefully to the speech rhythm and pitch. By observing and monitoring behavior measures and neural responses, the researchers noticed that when pronouncing nonadjacent dependent words with a higher pitch or marked intonation the children better understood the dependencies between them. To measure the responses non-invasively, researchers used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which analyzes how infrared light reflects based on oxygen changes in the bloodstream and as a respond to different experimental conditions.

When presenting the children with monotone language or flat pitch, their brains demonstrated a reduced level of nonadjacent dependency learning. However, when the same sentence was spoken in a higher pitched tone that highlighted related A and B syllables, the neural responses indicated that the children were able to learn the relative dependencies of words.

This selectivity of transposition of dependencies, through prosodic cues, allows young children to learn the language efficiently even before their first birthday as they are already equipped with powerful learning mechanisms at such an early age.

This study indicates that while rudimentary sensitivity to non-adjacent regularities may be present as early as 9 months, robust and reliable learning is only achievable at this age when melodic information is present that helps infants' brains detect constituent words with a non-adjacent dependency.

Published in Science Advances, the joint study between research teams at the universities of Padua and Barcelona, reveals how children are able to learn the grammar of language much earlier than previously thought: they do so by the prosodic cues of the language, often referred to as ‘the music of speech.’

Until now, researchers thought that children were only able to learn the relationships between distant words in sentences after the first year of age, that is, after they started speaking. A recent study entitled Prosodic cues enhance infants' sensitivity to nonadjacent regularities shows that children are able to learn these relationships as early as nine months.

The research, conducted by Ruth de Diego Balaguer and Ferran Pons of the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with Anna Martinez Alvarez and Judit Gervain, of the University of Padua and the CNRS in Paris, shows brain sensitivity to these regularities at the age of 9 months. The publication suggests that children are able to solve this task mainly by listening very carefully to the speech rhythm and pitch. By observing and monitoring behavior measures and neural responses, the researchers noticed that when pronouncing nonadjacent dependent words with a higher pitch or marked intonation the children better understood the dependencies between them. To measure the responses non-invasively, researchers used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which analyzes how infrared light reflects based on oxygen changes in the bloodstream and as a respond to different experimental conditions.

When presenting the children with monotone language or flat pitch, their brains demonstrated a reduced level of nonadjacent dependency learning. However, when the same sentence was spoken in a higher pitched tone that highlighted related A and B syllables, the neural responses indicated that the children were able to learn the relative dependencies of words.

This selectivity of transposition of dependencies, through prosodic cues, allows young children to learn the language efficiently even before their first birthday as they are already equipped with powerful learning mechanisms at such an early age.

This study indicates that while rudimentary sensitivity to non-adjacent regularities may be present as early as 9 months, robust and reliable learning is only achievable at this age when melodic information is present that helps infants' brains detect constituent words with a non-adjacent dependency.

Published in Science Advances, the joint study between research teams at the universities of Padua and Barcelona, reveals how children are able to learn the grammar of language much earlier than previously thought: they do so by the prosodic cues of the language, often referred to as ‘the music of speech.’

Until now, researchers thought that children were only able to learn the relationships between distant words in sentences after the first year of age, that is, after they started speaking. A recent study entitled Prosodic cues enhance infants' sensitivity to nonadjacent regularities shows that children are able to learn these relationships as early as nine months.

The research, conducted by Ruth de Diego Balaguer and Ferran Pons of the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with Anna Martinez Alvarez and Judit Gervain, of the University of Padua and the CNRS in Paris, shows brain sensitivity to these regularities at the age of 9 months. The publication suggests that children are able to solve this task mainly by listening very carefully to the speech rhythm and pitch. By observing and monitoring behavior measures and neural responses, the researchers noticed that when pronouncing nonadjacent dependent words with a higher pitch or marked intonation the children better understood the dependencies between them. To measure the responses non-invasively, researchers used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which analyzes how infrared light reflects based on oxygen changes in the bloodstream and as a respond to different experimental conditions.

When presenting the children with monotone language or flat pitch, their brains demonstrated a reduced level of nonadjacent dependency learning. However, when the same sentence was spoken in a higher pitched tone that highlighted related A and B syllables, the neural responses indicated that the children were able to learn the relative dependencies of words.

This selectivity of transposition of dependencies, through prosodic cues, allows young children to learn the language efficiently even before their first birthday as they are already equipped with powerful learning mechanisms at such an early age.

This study indicates that while rudimentary sensitivity to non-adjacent regularities may be present as early as 9 months, robust and reliable learning is only achievable at this age when melodic information is present that helps infants' brains detect constituent words with a non-adjacent dependency.

With the resolution of the University of Padua Department of Economics and Management proposal, on May 16 at 5 p.m. in the Aula Magna of Palazzo del Bo, Rector Daniela Mapelli confers the honorary doctorate in Economics and Management - Economics curriculum to the Cowles Professor of Economics at Yale University, Orazio Pietro Attanasio.

Awarding the scholar "based on his contributions to the research of the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomics and development economics through rigorous data analysis."

Worth noting are Prof Attanasio's research interests in household consumption, saving and labour supply behavior; risk sharing; evaluation and design of economic and social policies in developing countries, and the effectiveness of microcredit. He has also studied the accumulation of human capital in developing countries; and the long-term effects of early childhood interventions in education. Of particular note is his focus on the external validity of economic and social policy interventions, whereby field experiment results contribute to the context of structural models.

Prof Attanasio has received several academic acknowledgments including the Presidency of the European Economic Society and the Econometric Society, the Carlos Diaz-Alejandro Prize established by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association, and the Kaus J. Jacobs Research Prize of the Jacobs Foundation.  Awarded an Advanced ERC Grant (twice), and an ESRC Professorial Fellowship, Prof Attenasio has also served as a consultant to the World Bank and numerous developing country governments.

Participation is open upon registration.

A live streaming of the event will be available on the University of Padua YouTube channel.

With the resolution of the University of Padua Department of Economics and Management proposal, on May 16 at 5 p.m. in the Aula Magna of Palazzo del Bo, Rector Daniela Mapelli confers the honorary doctorate in Economics and Management - Economics curriculum to the Cowles Professor of Economics at Yale University, Orazio Pietro Attanasio.

Awarding the scholar "based on his contributions to the research of the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomics and development economics through rigorous data analysis."

Worth noting are Prof Attanasio's research interests in household consumption, saving and labour supply behavior; risk sharing; evaluation and design of economic and social policies in developing countries, and the effectiveness of microcredit. He has also studied the accumulation of human capital in developing countries; and the long-term effects of early childhood interventions in education. Of particular note is his focus on the external validity of economic and social policy interventions, whereby field experiment results contribute to the context of structural models.

Prof Attanasio has received several academic acknowledgments including the Presidency of the European Economic Society and the Econometric Society, the Carlos Diaz-Alejandro Prize established by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association, and the Kaus J. Jacobs Research Prize of the Jacobs Foundation.  Awarded an Advanced ERC Grant (twice), and an ESRC Professorial Fellowship, Prof Attenasio has also served as a consultant to the World Bank and numerous developing country governments.

Participation is open upon registration.

A live streaming of the event will be available on the University of Padua YouTube channel.

With the resolution of the University of Padua Department of Economics and Management proposal, on May 16 at 5 p.m. in the Aula Magna of Palazzo del Bo, Rector Daniela Mapelli confers the honorary doctorate in Economics and Management - Economics curriculum to the Cowles Professor of Economics at Yale University, Orazio Pietro Attanasio.

Awarding the scholar "based on his contributions to the research of the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomics and development economics through rigorous data analysis."

Worth noting are Prof Attanasio's research interests in household consumption, saving and labour supply behavior; risk sharing; evaluation and design of economic and social policies in developing countries, and the effectiveness of microcredit. He has also studied the accumulation of human capital in developing countries; and the long-term effects of early childhood interventions in education. Of particular note is his focus on the external validity of economic and social policy interventions, whereby field experiment results contribute to the context of structural models.

Prof Attanasio has received several academic acknowledgments including the Presidency of the European Economic Society and the Econometric Society, the Carlos Diaz-Alejandro Prize established by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association, and the Kaus J. Jacobs Research Prize of the Jacobs Foundation.  Awarded an Advanced ERC Grant (twice), and an ESRC Professorial Fellowship, Prof Attenasio has also served as a consultant to the World Bank and numerous developing country governments.

Participation is open upon registration.

A live streaming of the event will be available on the University of Padua YouTube channel.

With the resolution of the University of Padua Department of Economics and Management proposal, on May 16 at 5 p.m. in the Aula Magna of Palazzo del Bo, Rector Daniela Mapelli confers the honorary doctorate in Economics and Management - Economics curriculum to the Cowles Professor of Economics at Yale University, Orazio Pietro Attanasio.

Awarding the scholar "based on his contributions to the research of the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomics and development economics through rigorous data analysis."

Worth noting are Prof Attanasio's research interests in household consumption, saving and labour supply behavior; risk sharing; evaluation and design of economic and social policies in developing countries, and the effectiveness of microcredit. He has also studied the accumulation of human capital in developing countries; and the long-term effects of early childhood interventions in education. Of particular note is his focus on the external validity of economic and social policy interventions, whereby field experiment results contribute to the context of structural models.

Prof Attanasio has received several academic acknowledgments including the Presidency of the European Economic Society and the Econometric Society, the Carlos Diaz-Alejandro Prize established by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association, and the Kaus J. Jacobs Research Prize of the Jacobs Foundation.  Awarded an Advanced ERC Grant (twice), and an ESRC Professorial Fellowship, Prof Attenasio has also served as a consultant to the World Bank and numerous developing country governments.

Participation is open upon registration.

A live streaming of the event will be available on the University of Padua YouTube channel.

With the resolution of the University of Padua Department of Economics and Management proposal, on May 16 at 5 p.m. in the Aula Magna of Palazzo del Bo, Rector Daniela Mapelli confers the honorary doctorate in Economics and Management - Economics curriculum to the Cowles Professor of Economics at Yale University, 

With the resolution of the University of Padua Department of Economics and Management proposal, on May 16 at 5 p.m. in the Aula Magna of Palazzo del Bo, Rector Daniela Mapelli confers the honorary doctorate in Economics and Management - Economics curriculum to the Cowles Professor of Economics at Yale University, Orazio Pietro Attanasio.

Awarding the scholar "based on his contributions to the research of the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomics and development economics through rigorous data analysis."

Worth noting are Prof Attanasio's research interests in household consumption, saving and labour supply behavior; risk sharing; evaluation and design of economic and social policies in developing countries, and the effectiveness of microcredit. He has also studied the accumulation of human capital in developing countries; and the long-term effects of early childhood interventions in education. Of particular note is his focus on the external validity of economic and social policy interventions, whereby field experiment results contribute to the context of structural models.

Prof Attanasio has received several academic acknowledgments including the Presidency of the European Economic Society and the Econometric Society, the Carlos Diaz-Alejandro Prize established by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association, and the Kaus J. Jacobs Research Prize of the Jacobs Foundation.  Awarded an Advanced ERC Grant (twice), and an ESRC Professorial Fellowship, Prof Attenasio has also served as a consultant to the World Bank and numerous developing country governments.

Participation is open upon registration.

A live streaming of the event will be available on the University of Padua YouTube channel.

With the resolution of the University of Padua Department of Economics and Management proposal, on May 16 at 5 p.m. in the Aula Magna of Palazzo del Bo, Rector Daniela Mapelli confers the honorary doctorate in Economics and Management - Economics curriculum to the Cowles Professor of Economics at Yale University, Orazio Pietro Attanasio.

Awarding the scholar "based on his contributions to the research of the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomics and development economics through rigorous data analysis."

Worth noting are Prof Attanasio's research interests in household consumption, saving and labour supply behavior; risk sharing; evaluation and design of economic and social policies in developing countries, and the effectiveness of microcredit. He has also studied the accumulation of human capital in developing countries; and the long-term effects of early childhood interventions in education. Of particular note is his focus on the external validity of economic and social policy interventions, whereby field experiment results contribute to the context of structural models.

Prof Attanasio has received several academic acknowledgments including the Presidency of the European Economic Society and the Econometric Society, the Carlos Diaz-Alejandro Prize established by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association, and the Kaus J. Jacobs Research Prize of the Jacobs Foundation.  Awarded an Advanced ERC Grant (twice), and an ESRC Professorial Fellowship, Prof Attenasio has also served as a consultant to the World Bank and numerous developing country governments.

Participation is open upon registration.

A live streaming of the event will be available on the University of Padua YouTube channel.

With the resolution of the University of Padua Department of Economics and Management proposal, on May 16 at 5 p.m. in the Aula Magna of Palazzo del Bo, Rector Daniela Mapelli confers the honorary doctorate in Economics and Management - Economics curriculum to the Cowles Professor of Economics at Yale University, Orazio Pietro Attanasio.

Awarding the scholar "based on his contributions to the research of the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomics and development economics through rigorous data analysis."

Worth noting are Prof Attanasio's research interests in household consumption, saving and labour supply behavior; risk sharing; evaluation and design of economic and social policies in developing countries, and the effectiveness of microcredit. He has also studied the accumulation of human capital in developing countries; and the long-term effects of early childhood interventions in education. Of particular note is his focus on the external validity of economic and social policy interventions, whereby field experiment results contribute to the context of structural models.

Prof Attanasio has received several academic acknowledgments including the Presidency of the European Economic Society and the Econometric Society, the Carlos Diaz-Alejandro Prize established by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association, and the Kaus J. Jacobs Research Prize of the Jacobs Foundation.  Awarded an Advanced ERC Grant (twice), and an ESRC Professorial Fellowship, Prof Attenasio has also served as a consultant to the World Bank and numerous developing country governments.

Participation is open upon registration.

A live streaming of the event will be available on the University of Padua YouTube channel.

With the resolution of the University of Padua Department of Economics and Management proposal, on May 16 at 5 p.m. in the Aula Magna of Palazzo del Bo, Rector Daniela Mapelli confers the honorary doctorate in Economics and Management - Economics curriculum to the Cowles Professor of Economics at Yale University, Orazio Pietro Attanasio.

Awarding the scholar "based on his contributions to the research of the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomics and development economics through rigorous data analysis."

Worth noting are Prof Attanasio's research interests in household consumption, saving and labour supply behavior; risk sharing; evaluation and design of economic and social policies in developing countries, and the effectiveness of microcredit. He has also studied the accumulation of human capital in developing countries; and the long-term effects of early childhood interventions in education. Of particular note is his focus on the external validity of economic and social policy interventions, whereby field experiment results contribute to the context of structural models.

Prof Attanasio has received several academic acknowledgments including the Presidency of the European Economic Society and the Econometric Society, the Carlos Diaz-Alejandro Prize established by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association, and the Kaus J. Jacobs Research Prize of the Jacobs Foundation.  Awarded an Advanced ERC Grant (twice), and an ESRC Professorial Fellowship, Prof Attenasio has also served as a consultant to the World Bank and numerous developing country governments.

Participation is open upon registration.

A live streaming of the event will be available on the University of Padua YouTube channel.

With the resolution of the University of Padua Department of Economics and Management proposal, on May 16 at 5 p.m. in the Aula Magna of Palazzo del Bo, Rector Daniela Mapelli confers the honorary doctorate in Economics and Management - Economics curriculum to the Cowles Professor of Economics at Yale University, Orazio Pietro Attanasio.

Awarding the scholar "based on his contributions to the research of the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomics and development economics through rigorous data analysis."

Worth noting are Prof Attanasio's research interests in household consumption, saving and labour supply behavior; risk sharing; evaluation and design of economic and social policies in developing countries, and the effectiveness of microcredit. He has also studied the accumulation of human capital in developing countries; and the long-term effects of early childhood interventions in education. Of particular note is his focus on the external validity of economic and social policy interventions, whereby field experiment results contribute to the context of structural models.

Prof Attanasio has received several academic acknowledgments including the Presidency of the European Economic Society and the Econometric Society, the Carlos Diaz-Alejandro Prize established by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association, and the Kaus J. Jacobs Research Prize of the Jacobs Foundation.  Awarded an Advanced ERC Grant (twice), and an ESRC Professorial Fellowship, Prof Attenasio has also served as a consultant to the World Bank and numerous developing country governments.

Participation is open upon registration.

A live streaming of the event will be available on the University of Padua YouTube channel.

With the resolution of the University of Padua Department of Economics and Management proposal, on May 16 at 5 p.m. in the Aula Magna of Palazzo del Bo, Rector Daniela Mapelli confers the honorary doctorate in Economics and Management - Economics curriculum to the Cowles Professor of Economics at Yale University, Orazio Pietro Attanasio.

Awarding the scholar "based on his contributions to the research of the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomics and development economics through rigorous data analysis."

Worth noting are Prof Attanasio's research interests in household consumption, saving and labour supply behavior; risk sharing; evaluation and design of economic and social policies in developing countries, and the effectiveness of microcredit. He has also studied the accumulation of human capital in developing countries; and the long-term effects of early childhood interventions in education. Of particular note is his focus on the external validity of economic and social policy interventions, whereby field experiment results contribute to the context of structural models.

Prof Attanasio has received several academic acknowledgments including the Presidency of the European Economic Society and the Econometric Society, the Carlos Diaz-Alejandro Prize established by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association, and the Kaus J. Jacobs Research Prize of the Jacobs Foundation.  Awarded an Advanced ERC Grant (twice), and an ESRC Professorial Fellowship, Prof Attenasio has also served as a consultant to the World Bank and numerous developing country governments.

Participation is open upon registration.

A live streaming of the event will be available on the University of Padua YouTube channel.